


The Walking Man

by Karel_Stein_Adler



Category: Grimm (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-05
Updated: 2016-05-05
Packaged: 2018-06-06 15:31:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6759640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karel_Stein_Adler/pseuds/Karel_Stein_Adler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Continuation after Grimm 5x19 'The Taming of the Wu', using Grimm 5x20 'Bad Night' promo.<br/><br/>The Walking Man is the Wrath of God in the world of men, sent to punish the guilty and evil he sees… Orig. Simon R. Green – Nightside 9 – Just Another Judgement Day</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Walking Man

**Author's Note:**

> There is only one Walking Man at one time, he is the Wrath of God in the world of men, sent among us to punish the guilty and he does not compromise. He kills all those who stand is his way. He can overthrow kingdoms or just kills any guilty and evil he sees…  
> Orig. Simon R. Green – Nightside 9 – Just Another Judgement Day

The Walking Man  
  
There is only one Walking Man at one time, he is the Wrath of God in the world of men, sent among us to punish the guilty and he does not compromise. He kills all those who stand is his way. He can overthrow kingdoms or just kills any guilty and evil he sees… Orig. Simon R. Green – Nightside 9 – Just Another Judgement Day  
  
  
  
Nick gazed on a letter in his hands in total disbelieve. The last words – I have to protect you – just disappeared from paper. Almost mindless he pushed Kelly’s cuddly-toy fox, left on floor, into back pocket of trousers. Kelly will want his little foxy, once Nick will find him…  
  
So his family was taken, again. His entire little private world was destroyed, like after finger fillip. And for doing something with it he will have to ask Juliette/Eve and Hadrian Wall for help. He really wished to know, whom to kill, just now he was in a mood to do it slowly for the most possible pain…  
  
He dialed Eve’s number:  
  
“We need to talk. Now.”  
  
“OK. You know where to go.”  
  
***  
  
“So, here I am,” said Adalind to Sean Renard. “I will be here for Diana and I will help you with your campaign. But I will not sleep with you, nor with anybody else that you think, I should to.”  
  
“Strange,” smiled police captain and raised left eyebrow. “Newer before you have such a problem with it.”  
  
“That was before,” answered Adalind and gave him angry look.  
  
“Yea, before Nick,” shortly and ironically laughed Renard. “Our little witch finally is able to fall in love. Into a Grimm,” he shook his head in wonder. “How is that even possible?”  
  
“He is better man you can just imagine,” angrily said Adalind.  
  
“Who would expect, that man being honest could be attractive for an Hexenbiest,” said Sean and then smiled: “You will have to learn a lot, once you wish to help me and wish me to protect Kelly and also Nick from being killed…”  
  
***  
  
In briefing room were besides Nick and Eve also Trubel and Meisner. Nick explained everything about letter and disappearing text on paper.  
  
“So Adalind’s powers returned together with skill,” noted Eve. “There is one explanation, strange, but, I believe correct. Simultaneously with Black Claw it is also action of Diana, Adalind’s first daughter.”  
  
“Diana, you mean that little girl?” asked Nick in consternation.  
  
“I saw her few months ago,” answered Eve. “She grew faster, than is normal. She now looks like four, maybe even six year old girl. But she is probably emotionally in her calendar age. So she is totally self-centered and egoistic. With her extreme magic power she could be dangerous for anybody, including Kelly. I guess, Diana is not ready to share mommy’s care with younger brother, it is impossible to predict, what could happen.”  
  
“Where they can be now?” asked Nick.  
  
“Maybe it could surprise you, but most probably on Renard’s place. Diana probably just want to have complete family. Father she has and now she probably got also mother. It was Black Claw, who extracted Diana from HW facility and killed our two coworkers. Probably as a payment of kind, for Renard’s cooperation. That could explain his willingness to do so.”  
  
“And his house is like a fortress,” added Truble. “We will have to organize surveillance.”  
  
“We will help you, Burkhard,” said Meisner. “But it will be something for something. At Sean’s place will probably appear Black Claw leaders, so we will make operation together, not only to return your son and his mother to you, but also to weaken wesen uprising.”  
  
“As Diana is so extremely powerful, I though, how to protect ourselves from her influence,” said Eve. “Maybe we could use fact, that silver has great antimagic potential. So I asked to prepare something for us, but it will be made later.”  
  
“From now we start with 24 hour surveillance of Renard’s place to find, whether and where are guards, how is his house secured and so on. If we have occasion, we will take Kelly and Adalind away. I do not think it will be before our joint action,” said Meisner. “Better do not return home. Consider your place to be deconspired and unsafe. Take some rest. If you wish, you can have own room here.”  
  
“Maybe later,” answered Nick. “Now I fell being unable to sleep.”  
  
“Be careful,” said Meisner. “Rush and anger, as same as exhaustion, can lead you to be easily killed.”  
  
***  
  
Nick came to non-stop gun shop, purchased second Glock and several extra magazines. On police shooting range he tried shooting simultaneously from both guns. Maybe a little bit surprisingly for him himself he was hitting not a far worse, than if shooting both-handed from one gun and he was able to hit with more bullets such a way. Something in his mind suggested, he will need it…  
  
He spent rest of night near there in half-slept, sitting in his car.  
  
***  
  
“Diana, this is your brother Kelly,” showed Adalind smaller baby in a crib.  
  
“Is daddy his father too?” asked Diana.  
  
“No,” said cautiously Adalind. “His father is Nick Burkhard.”  
  
“I don’t like him,” answered Diana and left the room.  
  
Adalind was unsure, whether her daughter thinks Kelly, Nick or both. Sean’s place is much better equipped, luxurious and nicer, but she felt here like being imprisoned and finally she understood, that leaving Nick was definitively a mistake…  
  
***  
  
“I need to talk with you, captain,” said Nick to Sean Renard, when got a look on him in work.  
  
“Into my office,” answered captain. “What’s up?”  
  
“I suppose you know,” said Nick. “Adalind flied with Kelly from our place. I want them back. I believe, you know, where they are.”  
  
“So do you finally love Adalind?” asked captain. When Nick did not answer, continued: ”Sometimes we know, what we had just when we lost it. Sometimes the only way to protect the ones you love is to let them go.”  
  
“Sometimes the only way to protect the ones you love is to kill the people who threaten them,” answered Nick sotto voce and left captain office.  
  
***  
  
Hank looked really satisfied, probably thanks to night with Zuri. Nick decided not to tell him about Adalind and Kelly yet.  
  
“Hank, I need to speak with Monroe and Rosalee, can you help me with papers, please?”  
  
“Yea, if something is inevitable, I will call you.”  
  
***  
  
Before coming to Rosalee’s shop Nick decided to make a visit in Berman, Rautbort and Associates.  
  
“Where is Harrison?” asked, when tore into office.  
  
“Have you arranged an appointment?” asked desk clerk and tried to force away Nick.  
  
When Nick pushed her, she woged. Seeing Nick’s dark black eyes she shrieked and gave palm before widely opened mouth.  
  
“Yea, evil Grimm is here,” said Nick. “Off my way, Klaustreich.”  
  
Harrison left his office:  
  
“What do you need, Mr. …?” asked, trying to make detective less aggressive.  
  
“I need to know, who gave Adalind such a fright, that she left.”  
  
“I think, I have no idea…” more was lawyer unable to say.  
  
Nick jumped to him and started strangling him, ignoring Harrison’s waving hands.  
  
“The only, what I want to hear now, is truth,” informed him. “I know, lawyers are usually incapable of it, but do your best. Who were Adalind’s clients yesterday?”  
  
“She had only one client yesterday, Mr. Conrad Bonaparte,” rasped lawyer.  
  
“Whom is he?” asked Nick. “An Black Claw leader?”  
  
Surprised Harrison woged into Lausenschlange form.  
  
“So she really lived with an Grimm!” exhaled and wrenched out of Nick’s hands. With squawk “Ocultatum libera!” he jumped through the glass of window and fall down.  
  
“It’s the eight floor here, he hardly able to learn how to fly,” commented Nick for crowd of gathering lawyer and other workers of firm.  
  
“Grimm! … He is a Grimm! … GRIMM! … Grimm is here!” screams of horde were one-time scared and threatening.  
  
“Does anybody know, where I can find Conrad Bonaparte?” asked Nick, but the crowd just continued in screaming “GRIMM!”…  
  
***  
  
When Nick entered ‘Spice and Tea’ shop, Monroe took his watchmaker’s magnifier down.  
  
“What has happened, you look terribly.”  
  
“Adalind flied with Kelly. She left a letter she must protect her children and when letters from paper disappeared, there remain for a while, that she has to protect me. She was scared or blackmailed to left me. Eve thinks, she is with captain now and Diana is probably also there. So they are playing for a happy family, with Kelly as hostage and warranty of Adalind’s cooperation. HW could help, but only in case, that some Black Claw leader appears there. They wish to use it as decoy.”  
  
Monroe looked seriously and said:  
  
“According one of your books you can be, once a life, ‘Der Wanderer’. Means ‘The Walking Man’.”  
  
“What does it mean?”  
  
“That means, The Walking Man is the Wrath of God in the world, sent to punish guilty and evil. You know, that old-fashioned Old Testament kind of Justice with crushing of sinners, eye for eye, life for life and similar stuff. Being the Walking Man could help you, when extracting Kelly. We will help you, off course, but do not expect me killing a little girl.”  
  
“Yea, that’s another problem, Eve thinks, Diana is stronger even then she. She doesn’t want to do anything before thinking over how to neutralize Diana’s powers.”  
  
“I will try to find something by myself,” promised Rosalee.  
  
“I have also another problem, I need a safe place to sleep, may I use your spice shop for a while?”  
  
“Off course,” said Fuchsbau and gave Nick a key. “To you I can trust. You will not steal anything here. And if you cannot sleep, you can study in Grimm books.”  
  
***  
  
“So the Wrath of God, yea?” asked Rosalee to Monroe, when leaving ‘Spice and Tea’. “I do not remember anything similar in Nick’s books.”  
  
“Yes, I read it, but not in his books, so I plot it. Nick needs now to boost self-confidence.”  
  
“OK. So now you must also plot, how could Nick become that Walking Man.”  
  
***  
  
“Nick is on a warrior’s path,” whispered captain Renard to Adalind durring dinner.  
  
“What?!”  
  
“He was in your law firm, confronted Harrison and Harrison jumped throughout glass from window. Voluntarily. From the eight floor. When I sent detectives to check it, Department of Homeland Security agents were there and did not let them entry. They came in less, than five minutes after that lawyer tried to learn flying and they evidently let Nick continue mission on his own.”  
  
“Is Nick DHS agent?” asked Adalind with surprise. "Do they know about wesens?"  
  
“I have no idea, what DHS knows, but I do not think, that Nick could be their agent. He is too straight for such a work. They rather use him like a ferret.”  
  
“What do you mean?”  
  
“When hunters want to catch rabbits alive, they close all rabbit holes with nets and let ferret go inside. Ferret forces them to leave, rabbits are caught in nets, ferret obtains tidbit and is returned to its cage.”  
  
“What tidbit could they have for Nick?” asked Adalind.  
  
“Maybe you and Kelly…”  
  
***  
  
Nick decided to return to ‘fome’ for healing stick. He left car on street parallel to Rosalee’s shop. Near to his place he went by cab. Last one and half mile he came walking, what was wise, as he found near entry car with two gangsters. One of them was a face even Nick remembered. Johnny Scalanzoni was low-grade street ruffian and almost every cop in Portland had him in hands. Second villain looked unfamiliar.  
  
“Hallo Johnny, show me your hands,” said Nick, keeping prepared gun hidden behind his right leg.  
  
“You mean that, snooper?” asked Scalanzoni, pointing gun on Nick, together with his associate.  
  
But Nick moved faster and shot just four times, two bullets into each gangster. Than collected all spent cartridges. Slugs could also point to him, but finding and examining them will cost more time.  
  
Nick opened door into garage and waited for a few minutes. Then he caught a sound of threading shoe-sole. He stayed still and recognized silhouette of man with a gun in hand.  
  
Nick shot twice and moved away from near door. Several shots missed him. Thanks to flashes of shots he recognized positions of four shooters. Three were easy to shot down, fourth tried to escape for a new place, but he was finaly also slower, than Nick’s bullet.  
  
Coming to entry of lodge he recognized, how everything was brutally destroyed. Thanks to God they did not find entry into tunnel, so Nick climbed down. The healing stick he placed into inner pocket of jacket. When returning, he observed two other villains. They were probably on a roof before his entry. He downed them by gunshot without warning and returned to tunnel. After several miles of stumbling in darkness he recognized, he is in marina. From here was not a problem return to Rosalee’s ‘Spice and tea’ for a short restless sleep.  
  
***  
  
Adalind was waked by her daughter.  
  
“Tell me a fairy-tale mum, I cannot sleep.”  
  
Older Hexenbiest though, she had to teach Diana some ‘magic’ words like ‘please’, ‘be so kind’ and even ‘could you’…  
  
***  
  
“So you know, what to do,” said Conrad Bonaparte to Zuri before leaving. “Be as close as possible to both detectives to elicit, what they know.”  
  
After few moments Hank Griffin came to her place.  
  
“I missed you so much. You must one day invite also that Grimm here, he will appreciate a dinner too.”  
  
Hank felt something like a thorn of jealously. But smiled and answered:  
  
“His female partner is cook good enough, he doesn’t need it…”  
  
***  
  
Nick decided, Theo Delano had some reason to attack Wu and so made a visit to his associates from Trubel’s list.  
  
“I know my rights, you can't do that, it’s police brutality,” said Greg Franks, a bit stinking blond man with short untidy beard.  
  
“That’s not police brutality, that’s Grimm brutality,” informed him Nick, when fourth time banged his head to wall. “I'm short of time and you're even shorter.”  
  
“A Grimm?!” shriek out Franks and woged into Malin-Fatal form.  
  
When trying to attack Grimm, his neck was broken by wrestling hold.  
  
“I hope the others will be more willing to answer,” whispered Nick for himself.  
  
They were not…  
  
***  
  
“Nick!” Trubel sounds in phone enthusiastic. “Come here, and if possible, ask also Hank to come with you.”  
  
“OK,” agreed Nick and dialed Hank:  
  
“Hank, can you come to HW headquarter, they have something for us.”  
  
Hank looked to Zuri with a sorrow:  
  
“Nick needs me, it’s something important.”  
  
“Can I go with you?” Zuri surprised him. “You know, that I'm good fighter.”  
  
“That’s truth,” agreed Hank. “OK than.”  
  
***  
  
In Hadrian Wall headquarter they were surprised by Juliette/Eve. She came with two armed HW operatives.  
  
“Take her!” showed to Zuri.  
  
“What that mean?” asked Hank. “She is here with me.”  
  
“Tyler Zuri Ellis,” said Eve with cold emotionless voice. “Yaguaraté. Her brother Jarod Ellis is on list of known members of Black Claw. So we can assume, she is here to spy for Black Claw. Am I right, Zuri?”  
  
Zuri woged, but before doing anything, Trubel, coming from her back, injected something into her neck and so Yaguaraté fall into blackout.  
  
“Check her!” ordered Eve to both HW operatives.  
  
One handcuffed her, second switched on radio transmitter detector and checked Yaguaraté girl. Monroe and Rosalee, who came with Nick, looked a bit uncertain.  
  
“Using sexy spy,” stated Eve. “Maybe a bit ancient, but still really a very efficient method.”  
  
“Sorry Hank,” told Nick. “She reappeared in your life so suddenly and unexpectedly, that it was extremely suspicious.”  
  
“And what about Adalind, is she also here in an dungeon?” asked Hank.  
  
“No, somebody forced her to leave me, together with Kelly.”  
  
“She is in Sean Renard house,” told Meisner, opening file with photos. “Kelly we did not see yet, but baby’s crib is easy to hide somewhere. This man is probably one of organizers, he was in Miss Schade office shortly before she changed her behavior,” pointed by finger on one photo. “I hope we can catch also Lucien Petrowich in Renard’s place.”  
  
"That man is most probably Conrad Bonaparte, as Harrison told me," informed Nick.  
  
"We can try to find out more about him. By the way, we used badges of Department of Homeland Security to cover that your action in Berman, Rautbort and Associates," smiled Meisner. "We found there really interesting information about wesen criminality and also about motion of money among wesen leaded firms."  
  
“As Diana is so extremely powerful Hexenbiest, I asked to prepare something to prevent boiling our brains inside skulls,” said Eve without any sign of joking. “Silver has some powerful antimagic attributes, as I told last time. So for me and for Trubel we have these.”  
  
Eve showed two silver tiaras, one of them with motive of two crossed swords (made from silver, off course), one with just three six-pointed stars made from silver wire. Both jewels were decorated with six red stones, but not so plangently red, like ruby. Both were also with silver chains to avoid falling down from head.  
  
“If I will have to do some magic, I will have to take it down,” said Eve. “For you we have just this,” showed them three silver hairnets. “Monroe and Rosalee will stay in car, as part of our back-guards and back-ups.”  
  
“I will never take it on my head,” said Hank. “It would look idiotic.”  
  
“This can protect your mind and maybe even life,” objected Eve.  
  
“Good reason to use bulletproof helmet,” said Meisner. “We have everything here.”  
  
After few moments Meisner’s phone started to ring.  
  
“Yea? What?! If he tries to escape, kill him immediately, use sniper rifle!” ordered to phone.  
  
“Petrowich is on scene. He just arrived to Renard’s place,” Meisner was contented. “So helmets, bulletproof jackets and all the other stuff. GO! GO!! GO!!!” started to hurry everybody.  
  
***  
  
Adalind came into her room. Baby’s crib was empty, Kelly was away.  
  
“Where is Kelly?!” yelled out.  
  
She ran through Renard’s house, screaming “Kelly!”  
  
Finally she found him in living room, sitting in baby-car-seat. Baby-car-seat was placed in club chair next to club chair Conrad Bonaparte was sitting in. Both Sean and Bonaparte had glasses with whisky. Third man was standing with hands clasped together on his back. His glowering face was unfamiliar to Adalind.  
  
Diana jumped down from her chair and pushed Adalind into chair most far from Kelly. Then she climbed onto mother’s knees:  
  
"He's not so important, as me."  
  
Bonaparte beckoned by hand with a glass of whisky to Adalind:  
  
“Nice from you, that you decided to accompany us.”  
  
“Why is Kelly here?!” shriek Adalind. “Why is he not in his bed?!”  
  
“That Grimm is troublemaker. We need to explain him, how unhealthy consequences could his actions provoke,” voice of third man was awkward and dangerous.  
  
“I will kill you!” promised Adalind. “All of you here.”  
  
“You are not in position to menace,” said Bonaparte and titillated Kelly on chin. Boy scowled and started to cry.  
  
“Silence it!” shouted third man and woged into Mauvais-Dente form.  
  
***  
  
Nick looked strange. His body armory, as same as helmet, were dark black. On his back was fixed short sword in scabbard. In thigh holsters he had two guns, in right hand he now kept double-headed battle axe. Looking like an street-samurai he left car near to Renard’s house.  
  
Hank, leaning shotgun on his right shoulder, raised eyebrows:  
  
“Isn’t it a bit extreme?”  
  
“We go into extreme action,” answered Nick.  
  
Monroe with crossbow was probably the most normally looking person present there in a moment. Looking to Nick said:  
  
“Repeat after me – Dear God…”  
  
“Dear God…”  
  
“Give me power…”  
  
“Give me power…”  
  
“To bring the Justice…”  
  
“To bring the Justice…”  
  
“To evils.”  
  
“To evils. Sounds quite simply.”  
  
“Sometime the strongest things are also simply,” answered Monroe. “This is a prayer, of kind.”  
  
One HW operative with night vision goggle appeared:  
  
"We'd neutralized four guardians, placed out of garden. We have some five minutes before they are to be checked. Front entry is covered with three guardians, back entry with four. Number of inside guardians we estimate between eight to twelve."  
  
"OK. Burkhard and Griffin will go through front entry. Me, Eve and Trubel through back entry. House is covered by snipers, but they do not see everything, so be careful," informed Meisner last time before time to action.  
  
"Captain told, he has bulletproof Windows here," said Hank.  
  
"Hardly resistant to 50 BMG*," grimaced Meisner.  
  
(* 50 BMG - or 12.7×99 mm NATO - used for heavy machine guns and sniper or anti-material rifles)  
  
Meisner's phone ringed.  
  
"What?"  
  
Nick heard everything:  
  
"Something happened, target woged. Potential hostage situation."  
  
"What is him?"  
  
"Mauvais-Dente."  
  
"Down him! NOW!"  
  
"We need to hurry, something happened inside. GO! GO!! GO!!!" shrieked Meisner. Together with Eve and Trubel they ran to back entry.  
  
Strong boom demonstrated, that sniper just shot. Nick hoped he hit right.  
  
***  
  
From outside boomed, Mauvais-Dente's head mushroomed like a watermelon kicked by football player. Even the sound was similar.  
  
Diana started to squeal, sound chopped ears like chain-saw.  
  
Conrad Bonaparte grabbed Kelly in car-seat and left the living room in a hurry.  
  
Adalind wanted to follow him to hunt, but Diana’s touch was paralyzing for her. She was unsure, whether her daughter used magic just now, but it seemed likely so.  
  
***  
  
Nick ran to entrance door. Two guardians fallen being hit by crossbow axes with a knock-out potion, third was shot by an accompanying HW operative by a gun with silencer.  
  
Renard’s house had strengthened door, but not designed to resist medieval battle axe. After several smashes door opened and Nick, followed by Hank, barged into. In entry hall were two guardians, first died with Nick’s axe in rib cage. Second caught to shoot twice, hitting both Nick and Hank. Hank hit him death by shotgun.  
  
Nick healed himself, then Hank, but he even in so short time lost a lot of blood.  
  
“Sorry Nick, I need a moment to recover,” said older detective. “You must hurry up and I would detain.”  
  
Nick left battle axe in dead body and pull out both guns. From that moment he was like in an computer-video-game. He was flying on a top of adrenaline wave. Nick was unsure, whether he succeed to hit four or five guardians before he stormed into living room. Silver hairnet on his head under helmet as like healing stick in his pocket became more and more warm.  
  
On a floor was lying dead body without head. Rests of that head were visible scattered around. Captain Renard had a glass of whisky in hand and looked a bit shocked. Adalind sat on chair with screaming blond girl, who was too tall and looked too old to be Diana.  
  
“So, captain, I am here for Adalind and Kelly, where is him?”  
  
***  
  
At back entry ‘the dance’ started before Meisner with Eve and Trubel succeed to come. On ground were all four guardians and also one HW operative, however he looked to be still alive. Conrad Bonaparte kept gun close to Kelly’s head and Rachel Wood looked to be prepared to woge for mortal combat.  
  
Eve took tiara down and telekinetically pulled the gun out of Bonaparte’s hand, breaking all fingers on hand at the same time. Then she punched him twice with his gun to head to knock him out.  
  
Keeping gun still with telekinesis she aimed to Rachel Wood and touched her nasal bridge.  
  
“Time to surrender, Löwen,” she said with a cold voice.  
  
Rachel relaxed body and gave hands up. Trubel handcuffed her hands on back.  
  
“Move!” ordered, with Uzi Mini in her right hand.  
  
Eve took tiara back to head and lifted up Kelly in his car-baby-seat. Boy was surprisingly calm.  
  
“We will find your father,” promised.  
  
***  
  
“Where is Kelly?!” asked Nick with rising voice, pointing gun on Renard’s forehead. “I want him back right now!”  
  
“He was taken by Conrad Bonaparte,” said captain. “Would it help, if I say, that I did my best to protect him and that I did not sleep with Adalind, I mean this time?”  
  
“It could make things for you a bit better,” agreed Nick, but kept aiming gun on Renard.  
  
“Nick, I have Kelly. We got Bonaparte on back entrance,” said Eve and placed boy in car-seat on floor close to Nick’s left leg.  
  
Kelly started grinning, what was surprise for everybody around. After several moments he somehow got from Nick’s pocket cuddly-toy fox and started to shake with it.  
  
“OK,” said Nick. “Adalind, will you return with me, or do you want to stay here? Diana can go with us or be in Joint Custody.”  
  
“I will go with you, Nick,” answered Adalind. “This is not a healthy safe place for young potential Grimm.”  
  
Trubel hauled Rachel Wood to them. She gave Löwen shove, so Rachel ended on knees amongst Nick and Renard.  
  
“She could be better wife for you, than Adalind, captain” said. “After we finish her interrogations, we could leave her into your custody.”  
  
“Ad what about Zuri?” asked Hank, just coming with one handcuffed guardian. “Can I also obtain her into my custody?”  
  
“Once we will be sure she said everything she knows and after we got Jarrod Ellis, why not,” answered Meisner. “So Sean, just now, our story can have two scenarios. First – you invited us to dispute your mayoral campaign and we helped you to cope with gang attacking your house. Or second – we confronted you with investigation, showing, that your campaign posters were printed prior to Andrew Dixon’s assassination. Seems, Rachel Wood wishes to hold you for balls, literally.”  
  
Adalind spluttered with laugh.  
  
Diana looked around and was evidently outraged.  
  
“I hate you!” screamed. “You want to take my mommy from me!”  
  
Her eyes became blue and shining. Stones on both tiaras became shining and wind from nowhere appeared.  
  
Eve pulled respirator mask from pocket and fixed it on her face. Then pulled from another pocket spray, similar to police tear gas. She sprayed something into Diana’s face.  
  
Diana’s eyes lost shining blue light and the wind quieted down. She made several movements and then became looking scared.  
  
“What did you to me?” asked.  
  
Eve waited for a while, then take respiratory mask down.  
  
“Hexenbiest suppressor,” explained. “Enhanced formula with colloidal silver to avoid telekinetic repulsion of aerosol droplets.”  
  
“It can be helpful when raising so powerful Hexenbiest,” said Meisner. “So Sean, what version of story have you chose?”  
  
“I am really happy you helped me to keep my home safe from these invaders I never cooperated with,” answered captain. “Adalind, we will have to talk about Joint Custody for Diana, once you stabilize your life again.”  
  
***  
  
DHS badges worked like having their own charm. Nobody asked anything, uniformed policemen kept media out and protocol from action was labeled as ‘Strictly Confidential’…  
  
“You will need a new place, Burkhard,” said Meisner when leaving. “Maybe HW owes you to help with it. That Conrad Bonaparte will be a gold mine for information. Sean Renard could be a good mayor of Portland, if supervised by us, not by Black Claw.”  
  
Nick waved head for Adalind to come to him aside. She kept Kelly in arms not willing to let him out.  
  
Nick kneeled.  
  
“I have no ring here right now, but will you marry me?” asked.  
  
“So I have my own knight in black armory," said Adalind and bent down to kiss Nick. "Well, I must think it over, as maybe there is another better offer,” smiled. “But maybe yes.”  
  
Eve looked for Nick with Adalind and Kelly with strange inscrutable facial expression.  
  
"Sorry, Eve," whispered Trubel to her. "He is now for them both, not for you. Maybe it is not too fair, but death of his mother was also unfair. So live to overcome it."  
  
Eve gave her tired smile, uncharacteristic for her nowadays.  
  
"Adalind," said Nick with uncertainty in his voice. "We will have to go to an hotel, in our place are still seven dead bodies."  
  
"Don't forget those two idiots in car," said Trubel. "You acted like an epidemic. But our colleagues cleaned your place and took bodies away."  
  
***  
  
"So you think you may obstruct our investigation. "  
  
Voice was cold and calm. Conrad Bonaparte was banded to chair in an empty room, empty except for chair and woman in white wig.  
  
"If you do not want to speak with me, you probably do not need your mouth…"

**Author's Note:**

> As always - English is not my first language. I am curious, whether somebody find it interesting enough for comment.


End file.
